by Barb Schumacher
Sun Tzu, a famous Chinese general, military strategist and the author of The Art of War, has said, “Know thy self, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories.” And while Sun Tzu was not writing about spiritual battles, there is a measure of truth in his words to us as believers in our war against our adversary, Satan. If we know him and recognize his deceitful ways, we are able to resist him, watch him flee and win thousands of battles against him in our lives, with the power of the Holy Spirit living in us.
Recently, our AWANA lesson for the T&T clubbers (ages 3rd through 6th grade) was titled “Satan.” I had told the kids to be ready to discuss this topic at our next AWANA Wednesday, on February 9. As I left the building on February 2, I felt a little hesitant to discuss the topic next time.
What if the kids don’t understand enough about Satan?
What if they are afraid of him?
How can I best discuss this topic so that the kids understand that they can know their enemy, and be victorious in thousands of battles against him?
As always, the AWANA materials were “spot on” in providing good lesson plans and discussion questions. And from that lesson, I would like to share some truths that the kids and I took away from that evening.
- Satan hates God and is His enemy and ours. He does all he can to stop God’s plan. He wants to get anyone he can to hate God also.
1 Peter 5:8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
- Satan is a deceiver and a liar. He wants to deceive us and cause us to distrust God.
Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?”
- Be aware, but don’t despair! God has given us armor to “put on” to defeat the devil’s schemes in our lives.
Ephesians 6: 10-12 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
James 4:7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
Proverbs 30:5 Every word of God is flawless; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.
- In every war, there is a winner and a loser. When it comes to God and Satan, our all-powerful GOD is the clear winner every time. And at the proper time, Satan will be sent to eternal punishment in hell.
Revelation 20:10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
- We are Victors with Jesus if we trust Him to be our Lord and Savior. We do not need to fear, but we need to put our hope and trust in God, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
1 John 4:4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
After a “soda can crushing experiment”, great discussion, and memorization of powerful Scripture, our AWANA kids and grownups alike left our meeting feeling buoyed and ready for battle with our adversary. How good to know that believing adults and children can know (recognize) the enemy and also know that we are on the Winning Team with Jesus – in every battle of life – even thousands of them.
Heavenly Father, thank you that you have already defeated the enemy and that we are victors with you, as we put our faith and trust in you completely. Help us each day to put on the armor of God, so that we are ready to take our stand against the devil’s schemes. We trust you to lead us and guide us each day of our lives. In Jesus’ name, Amen.